NEWMARKET — Town voters will decide on a slate of pivotal issues this spring, including questions of whether to authorize $14.1 million for a new wastewater treatment facility and approve new contracts with police officers and teachers.

The town's first deliberative session to finalize warrant articles will be held at Newmarket High School today. Articles on the town warrant will be discussed beginning at 10 a.m.

The session will consist of an explanation, discussion and debate of each warrant article. Voters will also be able to propose, debate and adopt amendments to each article, except those that rely on wording created by the state, according to information provided by the town.

Perhaps the most significant issue on the ballot this year is an article asking voters if they favor raising funds to pay for the wastewater treatment facility and Creighton Street Pump Station.

Newmarket has an antiquated wastewater treatment plant. It's facing the prospect of designing and building a new facility to meet stricter new nitrogen discharge standards imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

An article authorizing the funds has been recommended unanimously by the Town Council and the Municipal Budget Committee. It requires approval from two thirds of voters in March to be adopted.

Also up for discussion today is an article that regarding issuance of $2.5 million for development of the Macintosh Well, to include electric service, wellhead development, piping and the purchase of land.

Another article pertains to authorizing the town's fiscal 2014 operating budget. The article proposes setting the annual town budget at close to $9.1 million. If the budget is rejected, a default budget of $9.2 million from last year would go into effect. The Town Council could also hold one special meeting for the purpose of creating a revised budget.

Other warrant articles being put to voters this year concern a new police contract, creation of a $40,000 fund for an upcoming revaluation, and creation of a commission to review the town's municipal charter.

After town matters are discussed in the morning, a separate meeting will take place at 1 p.m. at Newmarket Junior/Senior High School for warrant articles pertaining to the schools.

The first article on the school warrant asks voters to weigh in on the proposed fiscal 2014 budget. The school board had proposed a $14.8 million operating budget — an increase of 2.84 percent over last year. The figure was reduced by $70,000 in January by a municipal budget committee.

The warrant article on the table provides $14.7 million. The School Board is recommending against the article, after already proposing a budget that cut the equivalent of 5.5 staff positions.

Article 2 asks voters if they approve raising and appropriating $706,907 to set aside for construction of a new school building and/or renovation of existing buildings for fire and life safety code compliance. The money would go into a capital reserve fund established in 2012.

In March 2011 voters also approved $200,000 as a ﬁrst step in a four-year plan for work to address issues at the high school. The money paid for architectural and engineering designs, construction of a code compliant maintenance and storage building, door lock repairs, and other upgrades, according to information provided by the town.

Voters established a capital reserve fund for construction of a new school building and renovation of existing buildings last year. The town appropriated $769,270 to fund it.

The additional funding requested this year in Article 2 would pay for the third of four years of improvement work at the school, according to information provided by the town.

Article 3 deals with a new contract for school teachers. The Newmarket School Board and the Newmarket Teacher's Association ratiﬁed a new three-year collective bargaining agreement on Jan. 7, after a lengthy impasse. The agreement calls for combined salary increases of 6.9 percent over three years.

Article 12 asks voters if they want the Newmarket School Board to continue discussions with their counterparts in the Oyster River Cooperative School District regarding sending local high school students to study in Oyster River schools.

Preliminary discussions have already been taking place, driven by a space crunch in Newmarket, and the need for renovations at the existing Newmarket Junior/Senior High School. The outcome of the vote on article 12 is non-binding, and any tuition agreement with Oyster River will be presented to voters for final approval.

Other measures on the table would create a utility expenses capital reserve fund, aimed at helping to mitigate the effects of spikes in fuel prices, and stipulate that any surplus funds from this fiscal year should be distributed equally to the school district's four trust funds, with the amounts paid to those funds not to exceed $50,000 each.